1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for supporting various types of cathode-ray tube panels.
2. Background of the Prior Art
In the process for fabricating cathode-ray tubes, in order to form a phosphor screen on the inner surface of a cathode-ray tube panel, the panel is rotated to uniformly disperse a liquid phosphor while the liquid phosphor is supplied to the inner surface of the panel. In this case, a panel support apparatus is used to firmly hold the panel so as to prevent the panel from being dropped during its rotation.
A conventional panel support apparatus of this type comprises a pair of holders designed for each panel size, or two pairs of holders, each pair designed for a specific size. The latter apparatus is described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-3485.
Either support apparatus is designed for a specific size. For this reason, when various types of cathode-ray tubes having different panel sizes are to be fabricated, all panel support apparatuses in the production line must be replaced with apparatuses which are compatible with the desired size. Changes in a production line cannot be easily made. In addition, panel support apparatuses having sizes corresponding to all possible panel sizes must be prepared. Furthermore, one production line is limited to fabricating only the cathode-ray tube panels having a single size.
As is apparent from the above description, conventional panel support apparatuses can be used in production lines for panels having a single size or two different sizes. It is, therefore, difficult to use them in a production line for many different panel sizes.